Monday, April 23, 2012

Steve Balt MD, Editor of the "Carlat Psychiatry Report" threatens Robert Whitaker "Mad In America" with Legal Action over a reader comment

Steve Balt, a 4th year psychiatric resident has jumped on the legal intimidation bandwagon by ushering in legal threats to "Mad in America" blog & Robert Whitaker over an opinion comment that was left at the popular mental health advocacy blog.

This Following Comment: Which was retracted & deleted until further notice from the post comment section @ Mad In America Blog Why We Still Need Psychiatrists

I find it incredibly hypocritical & quite sad that "MAD IN AMERICA" blog is choosing to edit and delete comments that state relative facts and commentary directly related to the topic being discussed.

I also happen find this eye opening in light of "Mad In America" giving a sounding board & platform to doctors who are ethically corrupted; acting as apologist and cheerleaders for the institutionalized psychiatric establishment of today.

Though, I serious doubt Bob personally edits, or is directly involved with the everyday operations of this blog. I would have to submit that deleting factual comments & opinions runs contrary to the blogs implied mission.

The unfortunate reality is: who ever is charged with editing or over seeing content on this blog appears to be acting with a selective & ingrained personal bias which detracts from it's stated purpose of an open and honest dialogue.

I will not hide or back away from my personal opinion that those using "Victimology" as their life narrative are actually acting as a hindrance to any positive change coming to this unapologetic, brutal, & failed psychiatric modality moving forward.(you can push your own PAY PAL buttons to that one my censorship friends)

These few self ordained patient experts are doing both themselves and this movement a grave disservice. They avoid truth & facts with tainted personal innuendo, while replacing open conversation/debate with their own very limited and ignorant close minded rhetoric.

These are the very people that hide behind members only censorship walls do to their unwillingness to have honest debate, or to ask the critical & uncomfortable questions related to the pharmaceutical industry, spokesperson psychiatrist, and failing psychiatric treatment modalities of today. This appears to be manifested in their on going fear of any & all issue related to conflict. My honest question to them is; WHAT ARE YOU RUNNING & HIDING FROM?

I again will report the BALT comment..as Balt came here as a practicing doctor (not a patient) commenting/acting as a psychiatric apologist and defender of the status quo: his record and history should be known & considered fair game to expose as a factual backdrop to understanding where his opinions are derived...

-------------------------------

"I find Steve Balt’s comment somewhat confusing…as a 4th year resident psychiatrist with a checkered past & record whom is now editor of “The Carlat Report”…

It is not true that you are actually married to Pharma in the form of a BMS sales person; one whom you dated for years prior to marriage, who you met professionally at an Oakland treatment clinic that was on her sales route while you were a practicing residence psychiatrist there..

Is it not true that you have consistently tried to hide & deflect away from documented public record & article regarding your personal actions & the findings of the medical board in the state of California…

Or how that public record information jives with the Heisel article series/interview featuring Balt "Doctors with addictions left hanging as diversion program dies"

Isn’t it also true that you are an active member of the APA with that terrible leadership you drone on about…and that you are attending the APA national convention in Philadelphia this year…

So while your inside hobnobbing it with that coined misled leadership, listening to the same KOL’s mislead the profession with continued corrupted nonsense, & are attending the many sponsored gala events…

The true advocates for change, truth, and accountability will be outside the convention halls in the streets making their voices heard…

I think people should know the person behind the MD who is beating this nice sounding two headed drum while at the same time being very careful not to offend that institutional medicine side of the fence…that is no doubt a very fine line that you’re walking…

I happen to believe in full professional disclosure & then letting people judge for themselves who they wish to trust…how about you Steve Balt?"

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...I'm quite sure this comment will be deleted once again...Is that what "MAD IN AMERICA" is all about...if so, they have certainly lost one reader & supporter...

I wonder what Bob thinks about this situation? Guess I'll have to write him & find out!

I wrote Robert Whitaker to ask about why the comment was being censored and found out that Balt had sent him an email that said "He wrote stating that the comments were slanderous and false, and that he was contacting his attorney"

I will now go through this comment point by point in this post, & let you the reader judge for yourself if there is anything inaccurate, slanderous, or falsehoods in the comment/opinion that was left on the Mad In America Blog that would merit Steve Balt using sleazy intimidation methods and legal threats to stifle free speech & opinion regarding his actions, record, and possible COI.

2."It is not true that you are actually married to Pharma in the form of a BMS sales person; one whom you dated for years prior to marriage, who you met professionally at an Oakland treatment clinic that was on her sales route while you were a practicing residence psychiatrist there.."

audrey steven.our wedding at the time this information was gathered, the site needed no password...making it an open public doc.for viewing

How we met

"We met at the Schuman Liles clinic in Oakland. It's not the most romantic place in the world to meet your future love, but as the saying goes " you never know when you'll meet that special someone..."

For almost 2 years we were just two people who would discuss business with each other at the clinic. However, in September of 2009, we started to connect by way of email and eventually built a close friendship. From there the rest is history. "

"Favorite Memory with Steven: Our first "meeting" out of the office. This is when I first knew I was going to fall in love" this man...."

"When it happened

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

How we got engaged

In May of this year, Steven and I traveled to Hawaii for the annual American Psychiatric Association meeting. On Tuesday evening he took me to a wonderful restaurant in Waikiki called Orchids for dinner. We dined on sensational Hawaiian food and enjoyed good wine. After dinner he took me for a walk along the beach where he took me in his arms and asked me if I would marry him. Of course I said yes!"

Interesting a clinic for the "poor" has a board stacked with pharmaceutical sales people. Makes me wonder what drugs do they prescribe most often while billing medical & medicare?

It brings questions to mind when Balt writes articles such as the below screen shot on his blog without disclosing possible COI

3."Is it not true that you have consistently tried to hide & deflect away from documented public record & article regarding your personal actions & the findings of the medical board in the state of California…

4."Isn’t it also true that you are an active member of the APA with that terrible leadership you drone on about…and that you are attending the APA national convention in Philadelphia this year…

So while your inside hobnobbing it with that coined misled leadership, listening to the same KOL’s mislead the profession with continued corrupted nonsense, & are attending the many sponsored gala events…

The true advocates for change, truth, and accountability will be outside the convention halls in the streets making their voices heard…"

Okay, you might have a tiny complaint here...though you have a documented record & history of attending APA convention events...I took a huge leap by making an assumption in an blog opinion comment section that you are an active APA member...please correct me if I'm wrong with that assumption...

5."I think people should know the person behind the MD who is beating this nice sounding two headed drum while at the same time being very careful not to offend that institutional medicine side of the fence…that is no doubt a very fine line that you’re walking…

I happen to believe in full professional disclosure & then letting people judge for themselves who they wish to trust…how about you Steve Balt?"

Now this last part of the comment was stating a personal opinion related to the topic in discussion. & asking pertinent questions? Of course Balt did not come back to the comment section to respond to my comment. instead he wrote Robert Whitaker calling my comment slanderous and false, and you were contacting your attorney.

Well, I believe I have shown here that in fact my comment was based in factual content & research. Why are you Steve Balt Editor of "The Carlat Psychiatry Report" using sleazy intimation methods and legal threats against Robert Whitaker & the Mad in America Blog?

What are you trying to hide Steve?

Please Stop by & leave a comment!

I will stand by my comment & the facts Steve Balt....I'll be waiting to hear from your lawyers with bated and breathless anticipation. Maybe one of your new relations by marriage (a federal judge) can give you some sound advice....

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